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[VanMardigan]

Android Pay has a lot of growing up to do. None of my cards worked on it (Citi and Barclay). Probably because I live in a territory rather than a state (it shouldn't matter that I do, but bear with me).

On Apple Pay, the Citi card worked right away. I never tried the Barclay until yesterday. Didn't work, BUT (and this is a big deal) it gave me the reason why it didn't work (verification needed) AND it provided me a telephone number for Barclay right on the app screen that I clicked on and took me to the Barclay Apple Pay department directly. That's the polish that's needed and is often lacking in SOME Android products and services. The lady in the phone fixed whatever the issue was and now both cards are in my wallet.

On Android Pay, the error message simply said: call your credit card company.

 

[akileese]

S7 Reddit claims that T-Mobile has opened the floodgates on it. Nothing out of AT&T/Verizon camps yet.

I mean it seems likely. My wife got it too and a few friends as well. None of us were beta testers. Obviously small sample size and all, but four or five randos not in the beta getting it pushed seems to indicate at least a one wave rollout.

 

[LeleSocho]

When do the new Android phones usually release? I'm in the market for one and am curious if I should wait or buy one now.

Next week there will be MWC where most of the new phones will be officially announced with release dates, specifications and everything.

 

[JaggedSac]

Next week there will be MWC where most of the new phones will be officially announced with release dates, specifications and everything.

Sweet, thanks.

 

[Jazzy Network]

Damn I gotta reflash my Honor 8. I accidently flashed a test build of EMUI 5.

 

[Jeffrey]

New Sammy tablet is basically a bigger note 7.

https://www.sammobile.com/2017/02/1...droid-nougat-grace-ux-and-note-like-ambition/

 

[sleverfunk]

man i dunno

v20 looking goo.. oh it's the g6

 

[Ty4on]

Those with the 6P battery issue, have you tried making sure the battery runs down to 0%? Like if it dies at 30%, reboot it, plug it in if need be, and let it drain to 0%? If you get it to report 0% (or close to it) right away don't bother draining it.

Maybe nothing, but I've had a similar issue on my phone and weirdly the phone didn't report that the battery was at 0%. I rebooted mine right now after it died at 19% and after rebooting it was still at 19%. If the battery/phone doesn't know it ran out/hit 0% it can think what is actually 0% was 20 or 30% and do the same again.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

G6 is very unexciting. Will be a good cheap buy 5 months after it releases.

 

[Ty4on]

G6 is very unexciting. Will be a good cheap buy 5 months after it releases.

Are cheap G5s still not recommended due to boot loop etc. issues?

 

[Jeffrey]

G5 is fine but even at reduced price, better to get a op3 instead.


I can't imagine many phones being exciting this year. Removing a bit of bezel from the top and bottom doesn't actually change the dynamic of a phone much lol.

Well it does seem like iPhone might have drastic changes in navigation so that's neat.

OnePlus founder mentioned in an xda interview that camera is there next goal so expect the Op4 to be basically "perfect" if that's addressed. Hopefully a 2k screen.

Next axon just needs a better skin and it's basically perfect as well.


Feels like a year of refinement outside of Apple.

 

[No Love]

G5 is fine but even at reduced price, better to get a op3 instead.


I can't imagine many phones being exciting this year. Removing a bit of bezel from the top and bottom doesn't actually change the dynamic of a phone much lol.

Well it does seem like iPhone might have drastic changes in navigation so that's neat.

OnePlus founder mentioned in an xda interview that camera is there next goal so expect the Op4 to be basically "perfect" if that's addressed. Hopefully a 2k screen.

Next axon just needs a better skin and it's basically perfect as well.


Feels like a year of refinement outside of Apple.

Next Axon needs a better camera and battery.

 

[this_guy]

I'm still interested in reviews for the Asus Zoom 3. 5000mah battery size with the Snapdragon 625 (same as the Motorola Z Play which has amazing battery life) and a focus on the camera. But I dont have much hope for the software/bloatware. I don't expect near stock but I have a feeling I'd rather use Huawei's skin over Asus.

 

[Noema]

I lost the charger that came with my Nexus 6. I got one that supposedly outputs 2.1 amps over 5v and I figured that'd be enough for it to charge it at about the same rate as my old charger, which could charge the phone from 0% to full in about 70 minutes.

However this charger seems to be much slower as it takes over 2 hours to fully charge the phone with it. I measured the charging rate with an app and it barely pulls 1 amp while charging with it compared to my old charger which would constantly pull about 2000mah.

So why isn't it pulling more juice? Am I missing something or is it just a shitty charger?

It's super annoying since I got used to getting close to 50% charge after plugging in for 30 minutes.

I'm still interested in reviews for the Asus Zoom 3. 5000mah battery size with the Snapdragon 625 (same as the Motorola Z Play which has amazing battery life) and a focus on the camera. But I dont have much hope for the software/bloatware. I don't expect near stock but I have a feeling I'd rather use Huawei's skin over Asus.

Agreed on Asus' shitty software but it should get good custom ROM support since they are using SD chips this time around.

 

[Rodney McKay]

If you have an S7/Edge with T-Mobile I just got Nougat pushed to my phone. I was not in the beta program.

Yup, just checked today and I got it too.

Really like the ability to tweak the resolution, I don't really notice a substantial difference between the 1080p and the full results of the S7, so hopefully I'll save some battery life.

Still getting used to the tweaks to the notifications and settings, but I like it so far.

 

[Laekon]

All I keep seeing is how the battery life of S7's is worse after the 7.0 update but I wonder if that is long term. My 5X sucked even worse then normal after the update but then came back after awhile.

 

[Vanillalite]

In general Android sucks at major updates. In particular battery life plummets unless you factory reset.

 

[Jeffrey]

Feel like all phones are like that. There are reasons why people resist updating their iphones even though Apple basically spams you worse than Windows 10.

 

[Vanillalite]

Huawei must love that they brought the Mate 9 out when they did. GS8 doesn't launch till mid April and Google is either out of stock or basically out of stock ie shipping is 5-6 weeks. So if you want a timely phone that's newer they rule the roost so to speak.

 

[Jeffrey]

Huawei must love that they brought the Mate 9 out when they did. GS8 doesn't launch till mid April and Google is either out of stock or basically out of stock ie shipping is 5-6 weeks. So if you want a timely phone that's newer they rule the roost so to speak.

Still only available buying full price unlocked. If you can't installment plan a phone you can't succeed in debt America.

Especially when it's $600. Wonder if they will change any strategy with the P10 launch? Maybe some better launch goodies.

Better than this shitty ass Huawei selfie stick I got lol.

 

[Toki767]

My AT&T S7 finally getting Nougat.

I was thinking they were going to hold off on pushing it out until the S8 came out like they did with the S6 and Marshmallow last year.

 

[LostMyNarbles]

Renders of the S8 and G6 in a plastic case from evleaks. They both look pretty uninspiring, but I guess you can't really do a lot with the body like that. I wonder how the rumored bezel-less iPhone will look in comparison.

 

[thuway]

I really wish the S8 Edge and the S8 were the same size. I hate having to upgrade to the Edge version for the larger screen. Just give me a flat screen so I can put on a goddamn screen protector.

 

[Groof]

the fingerprint sensor on the s8 smh

and why are rounded display corners a thing again?

 

[reKon]

knees are too sharp

 

[Bboy AJ]

Renders of the S8 and G6 in a plastic case from evleaks. They both look pretty uninspiring, but I guess you can't really do a lot with the body like that. I wonder how the rumored bezel-less iPhone will look in comparison.

It'll look amazing. The iPhone 6 form that's still with us today is their worst. I hate it.

 

[Randy Lanzarote]

The latest Google App update seems to have disabled my Google Now page in the GN Launcher. G App works fine in other launchers on my device.

I'm guessing this is the first step to abandoning the GN Launcher? :/

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

SMH at the LG logo.

 

[Mr.Shrugglesツ]

Yall sure do get twisted over subtle logos.

 

[crazy monkey]

Yall sure do get twisted over subtle logos.

so true lol. might as company give up their identity. phones look fine. They will be covered in covers any ways. All slab phone are same. i wish we have more crazy design like 2000's. every phone had some uniqeness to it.

 

[Groof]

i'd rather have a logoless front but at least LG's logo isn't as garish as samsungs

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Yall sure do get twisted over subtle logos.

to me it's not so much the logo as it is the principle of it. You're paying this really high premium price for a premium phone and the company slaps this stupid ass logo on it. It's equivalent of you buying a car and instead of the symbol just being tastefully on the front/back, you have this huge ass Honda or Ford taking up the hood of your car or the entire driver door.

Sure you can still drive it and the car mostly still looks fine but it's basically the company telling you they care more about their own branding than you having the nicest possible product for what you paid. It's just a sign that they don't care much about the design of the phone. Lacks taste.

 

[Jazzy Network]

to me it's not so much the logo as it is the principle of it. You're paying this really high premium price for a premium phone and the company slaps this stupid ass logo on it. It's equivalent of you buying a car and instead of the symbol just being tastefully on the front/back, you have this huge ass Honda or Ford taking up the hood of your car or the entire driver door.

Sure you can still drive it and the car mostly still looks fine but it's basically the company telling you they care more about their own branding than you having the nicest possible product for what you paid. It's just a sign that they don't care much about the design of the phone. Lacks taste.

This is a dumb analogy and literally old man yelling at cloud argument.

 

[DongBeetle]

Having a bad feeling that Google is gonna let themselves get absolutely destroyed by Apple in both hardware and software this year...

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

This is a dumb analogy and literally old man yelling at cloud argument.

so thinking logos on the front of phones is lacking in design taste/elegance is an old man yelling at cloud? lol....

It cheapens it. It's a fact. Any time a logo is printed on something in an annoying place, it cheapens it. That was my point. I feel the same about that as I do phones, cars, water bottles, wallets, even pencils lol. Applies to everything.

Maybe you're ok with it, nothing wrong with that. I've owned 2 phones with stupid logos on the front, not a huge deal. But it cheapens it and is inelegant, which is counter to what they want you to think of the product. Samsung especially since they try really hard to tell you how much thought they put into design. I'm glad google gets it with the pixel and apple with the iphone. Oneplus and the rest as well.

 

[Hasney]

With so much choice and very little difference between a lot of these phones, it's going to come down to the small things anyway.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

With so much choice and very little difference between a lot of these phones, it's going to come down to the small things anyway.

that is true too. Just looking at the G6 and S8. Who in their right minds would get the G6 over the S8. They seem so similar but the s8 just seems slightly better in various ways.

Spoiler

also lg ahrdware quality sux

speaking of oneplus, I'm actually really interested to see what they do this year in the face of all this. They've been refining the same design for years. Don't they usually release in may/june. Surprised we haven't heard much but I guess they're a smaller operation.

 

[LostMyNarbles]

Having a bad feeling that Google is gonna let themselves get absolutely destroyed by Apple in both hardware and software this year...

The biggest disappointment with hardware will be if Apple announces this brand new phone with nearly no bezel and improves upon the iPhone 7 in every way and Google didn't get the memo that everybody was doing bezel-less this year so they throw out something that looks plain and outdated. That being said I am not that worried because with the exception of water-proofing I think the Pixel was pretty much on-par hardware wise with the iPhone 7 if not better in some areas like the screen and camera.

I am worried software wise because it sounds like the Pixel phones have had various issues like battery randomly dying, or software hiccups which is inexcusable since it takes Google long before they patch shit. Android still has a lot of "Jank" that needs to get sorted out and given how long it has been going on for I worry it isn't getting fixed anytime soon.

 

[Jeffrey]

With the rumored hording of 835 by Samsung I can see the Op4 being delayed a bit.

 

[clav]

This is a dumb analogy and literally old man yelling at cloud argument.

Yeah really.

Let's get mad at logos pasted on the front of computer monitors, TVs, laptops, tablets, and appliances.

 

[Jeffrey]

Don't know about what luxury cars y'all been in but the top end editions definitely make sure to inform you about it basically every inch of the car in some way.

 

[Jazzy Network]

so thinking logos on the front of phones is lacking in design taste/elegance is an old man yelling at cloud? lol....

It cheapens it. It's a fact. Any time a logo is printed on something in an annoying place, it cheapens it. That was my point. I feel the same about that as I do phones, cars, water bottles, wallets, even pencils lol. Applies to everything.

Maybe you're ok with it, nothing wrong with that. I've owned 2 phones with stupid logos on the front, not a huge deal. But it cheapens it and is inelegant, which is counter to what they want you to think of the product. Samsung especially since they try really hard to tell you how much thought they put into design. I'm glad google gets it with the pixel and apple with the iphone. Oneplus and the rest as well.

It's a fact that it cheapens the product? Now you're just pulling shit out your ass. You say it's a fact and then go on to say it's how you feel. Please stop.

 

[Charcoal]

So this is going to be a dumb question but bear with me. I've been on iPhones for years and moved to a One + 3t in December.

Is there anything in the android ecosystem that compares to imessage? I have textra, but it doesn't hold a candle to messaging on an iPhone.

 

[VanMardigan]

There is nothing like iMessage on other devices and it's a damn shame (though understandable) that Apple will not port it to Android and Windows 10. It's one of their key differentiators to lock users in.

 

[Charcoal]

Makes sense as it's literally the only thing I miss about the Apple ecosystem

 

[Jazzy Network]

Don't know about what luxury cars y'all been in but the top end editions definitely make sure to inform you about it basically every inch of the car in some way.

Yea man if I buy a Porsche, I want people to know I have a Porsche. If you didn't care, buy a Ford or something.

 

[Jazzy Network]

Had to downgrade my Honor 8 to 6.0 then re-upgrade to the official 7.0 build from the test version. Pain in the ass. At least I am now running with all the features.

 

[Laekon]

With so much choice and very little difference between a lot of these phones, it's going to come down to the small things anyway.

Don't know about what luxury cars y'all been in but the top end editions definitely make sure to inform you about it basically every inch of the car in some way.

I think cars are a good analogy for where phones are at right now. Their is really no difference between a Audi A4, BMW 3 series, and a Mercedes C class beyond small design details and their ability to effect peoples emotions (about quality, durability etc) through marketing. The only issue for phones are the physical design details are lost in cases.

 

[Drifters]

There is nothing like iMessage on other devices and it's a damn shame (though understandable) that Apple will not port it to Android and Windows 10. It's one of their key differentiators to lock users in.

Fuck iMessage and it's garbage system. I hope people realize how shitty iOS has become over the years and that the pixel 2 has a cheaper entry price and wider carrier adoption. Really, if they want to tell Apple to fuck off, they have no excuse but to embrace the Pixel 2 at this point.

 

[Jeffrey]

https://www.amzn.com/gp/product/B01LACBMV2

If you want a small android phone Xperia x compact for $300.